Post by Isaac Brock on May 8, 2021 14:18:09 GMT
Yugoslavia had originally wanted to maintain neutrality, so their king bent to the Germans' terms. They were to demilitarise the Adriatic, and give a frontier in Operation Marita.
The people were overtaken by a sudden wave of patriotism at exactly the wrong time. They deposed of their king, replacing him with the young Peter II, and appointing General Petrovic as their primary commander.
Hitler was pissed off. He told General Ewald Von Kleist to "prepare for the destruction of Yugoslavia"
Operation Strafgericht, translated "punishment," was to be launched in two prongs. The Southern Prong, led by general Wilhelm List, was to come from Eastern Bulgaria, and its target was to reach Belgrade from the south, systematically destroying the Southern Yugoslavian flank.
The Northern Prong, led by Kleist himself, was to blow his way through Ljublijania, Zagreb, and reach Belgrade.
The operation was a roaring success. The Southern Pincer took the Yugoslav Army completely by surprise, while the Northern one encountered Croatian troops who had been discrminated against in a mainly Serb-Centric rule. These Croats threw down their arms and many welcomed the advancing German troops.
The Germans suffered around 100 casualties. The Yugoslavs: 1300. This was, by standard of casualties, the most lucratively successful operations in the Second World War.
The spirit of the army died on the banks of the Nisaya river, but the spirit of the people lived on. Yugoslav Partisans harassed German installments for the rest of the war.
At this point, this caught the British' attention. They were now pouring in more and more troops into Greece.
Next: Operation Marita.
The people were overtaken by a sudden wave of patriotism at exactly the wrong time. They deposed of their king, replacing him with the young Peter II, and appointing General Petrovic as their primary commander.
Hitler was pissed off. He told General Ewald Von Kleist to "prepare for the destruction of Yugoslavia"
Operation Strafgericht, translated "punishment," was to be launched in two prongs. The Southern Prong, led by general Wilhelm List, was to come from Eastern Bulgaria, and its target was to reach Belgrade from the south, systematically destroying the Southern Yugoslavian flank.
The Northern Prong, led by Kleist himself, was to blow his way through Ljublijania, Zagreb, and reach Belgrade.
The operation was a roaring success. The Southern Pincer took the Yugoslav Army completely by surprise, while the Northern one encountered Croatian troops who had been discrminated against in a mainly Serb-Centric rule. These Croats threw down their arms and many welcomed the advancing German troops.
The Germans suffered around 100 casualties. The Yugoslavs: 1300. This was, by standard of casualties, the most lucratively successful operations in the Second World War.
The spirit of the army died on the banks of the Nisaya river, but the spirit of the people lived on. Yugoslav Partisans harassed German installments for the rest of the war.
At this point, this caught the British' attention. They were now pouring in more and more troops into Greece.
Next: Operation Marita.
